Virgin Australia takes off with major new NBL and WNBL partnership

• Virgin Australia has today announced a three-year partnership as the Official Domestic Airline Partner of the National Basketball League (NBL) and Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL).
  
• Virgin Australia will also become the presenting partner of HoopsFest, the league’s largest five-day annual basketball festival in Perth.
  
• NBL is one of Australia’s fastest-growing sports leagues, with record attendance and double-digit growth in broadcast viewership year-on-year.
  
• The partnership reinforces the airline’s growing presence across major Australian sports, recently announcing its extended partnership with AFL, AFLW, Carlton Football Club and the Sydney Swans Football Club.
  
• The growth of Virgin Australia sporting sponsorships allows it to capture growing demand for fan and team travel across the nation’s major sporting codes.
  
• To celebrate, Virgin Australia has released sale fares to Perth for Hoopsfest from $219* one-way for selected travel dates here from 11:00am AEST until 11:00pm AEST Saturday 23 May 2026.
  
  

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Virgin Australia has announced a new three-year partnership with the National Basketball League (NBL) and Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL), becoming the Official Domestic Airline Partner of both competitions as demand for fan travel continues to surge across Australia.

The partnership comes as basketball continues its rapid growth, with more than 1 million Australian participants, 1.2 million attendees last season, and a 20 per cent growth in broadcast viewership year on year.

The partnership will also see Virgin Australia become the Presenting Partner of HoopsFest, one of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest annual basketball festivals, set to take place in Perth from 13-17 January, 2027.

With Hoopsfest attendance increasing by an average of 25 per cent each year, Virgin Australia’s 250 weekly return services to Perth are helping fans, players and officials travel to the event, while driving increased visitation and a significant boost to the Western Australian economy.

The new partnership further cements Virgin Australia at the centre of the nation’s sporting landscape, building on partnerships with the AFL, AFLW, Carlton Football Club and the Sydney Swans Football Club.

To mark the announcement, Virgin Australia has launched a Perth sale over the Hoopsfest weekend, with one-way fares from major Australian cities starting from just $219* one way. The sale fares can be booked here for selected travel dates from today until 11:00pm AEST Saturday 23 May 2026.

Commentary

Virgin Australia Chief Executive Officer, Dave Emerson, said the partnership reflects the airline’s ongoing commitment to grow its share of sport and fan travel.

“Sport plays a powerful role in connecting communities, fans and driving visitation, and Virgin Australia is proud to be the new airline partner of the NBL and WNBL as we continue to grow our presence in live sport tourism,” said Mr Emerson.

“Through basketball’s growing popularity in Australia is an opportunity for Virgin Australia to help fans get closer to the action on the court, while supporting players, coaches and support staff travel to away games.

“Our partnership with the league will complement our partnerships with the AFL, AFLW, Carlton and Sydney Swans football clubs, further strengthening Virgin Australia’s commitment to connecting fans with the sports they love while supporting major events that drive tourism and economic growth across Australia,” he said.

Commenting on Hoopsfest, Mr Emerson said: “We’re committed to providing fans greater choice and value when travelling to basketball games and testament to that is our sale on fares to Hoopsfest starting from as low as $219 one way.”

NBL Group CEO David Stevenson said: “This partnership with Virgin Australia reflects the momentum behind our leagues and the increasing demand we’re seeing for basketball, with fans travelling across the country to support their teams and be part of major events,”.

“We’re also thrilled to welcome Virgin Australia as the presenting partner of HoopsFest – which has fast become one of the most exciting sporting events on the calendar. This new partnership will help us continue to grow HoopsFest, easing access to Perth and deliver even more amazing experiences to basketball fans. I want to thank Virgin Australia CEO, David Emerson, and his team, and look forward to working with them.”

Western Australia’s Minister for Tourism, the Hon. Reece Whitby MLA, welcomed the return of HoopsFest’s to Perth : “I’m thrilled to announce that the WA Government has secured HoopsFest for Perth until 2028, with the event promising to be another slam dunk for both visitors and locals.

“The WA Government’s investment in this event is all part of our broader economic diversification strategy to strengthen the tourism sector and support local jobs and businesses, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing what’s in store over the next two years.

“This is yet another opportunity to showcase Western Australia on a national stage as a premier host for world-class events and build on our reputation as the fastest-growing events destination in the South East Asia region.”

Hoopsfest will be held in Perth from 13-17 January 2027, with tickets on sale now here and discounted Perth fares available via the Virgin Australia website.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

*Fares are on sale from 11:00am AEST on 22 May 2026 to 11:0pm AEST on 23 May 2026, unless sold out prior. For travel on selected dates between 10 January 2027 and 24 March 2027 (inclusive). Blackout periods and conditions apply. $219 price point based on a one-way Economy Lite fare from Adelaide to Perth booked at virginaustralia.com. Seat selection and checked baggage are not included in Economy Lite fares. Subject to availability. Payment surcharge may apply. Full T&Cs at www.virginaustralia.com

ABOUT VIRGIN AUSTRALIA

Virgin Australia was founded in 2000 and is now one of the largest Australian airlines operating an extensive domestic network as well as short haul international services, charter and cargo operations, and its loyalty program, Velocity Frequent Flyer. Velocity members can use their Points to redeem flights to over 650 destinations around the world through Virgin Australia and the airline’s extensive list of international partner carriers. Virgin Australia employs more than 8,000 people. For further information please visit virginaustralia.com.

ABOUT NATIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE (NBL)

The NBL was founded in 1979 and is the world’s best basketball league outside of the NBA. Currently composed of 10 teams (nine in Australia and one in New Zealand), game attendances, TV viewership, digital traffic and fan engagement have skyrocketed following new ownership in 2015. NBL teams are located in Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Tasmania, Melbourne, New Zealand, Perth, Sydney, and Illawarra.

ABOUT WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE (WNBL)
Founded in 1981, the WNBL is Australia’s longest-running elite women’s sporting competition and a proven pathway for world-class talent, producing globally recognised stars including Lauren Jackson and Penny Taylor. The league has also played a significant role in Australia’s sustained international success, with Olympic and FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup medal-winning teams featuring generations of WNBL talent. Since entering a new era under fresh ownership in April 2025, the WNBL has experienced strong growth across crowd attendance, broadcast audiences, fan engagement and digital reach. The league currently features nine teams based in Adelaide, Bendigo, Canberra, Geelong, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Tasmania and Townsville.